This South Jersey Woman Helped Lead the Charge Up the Capitol Steps

Stephanie Hazelton (a.k.a. Ayla Wolf) at the Capitol attack in Washington, D.C., on January 6th. (Screenshot via YouTube video, embedded below)

Given the sheer number of people who turned up for the Capitol riot on January 6th and Washington, D.C.’s proximity to Philadelphia, it was only a matter of time before folks from our area were identified in the scads of photos and videos of the day. First, there was retired Delco firefighter Robert Sanford. Then came former Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts student Andrew Wrigley. And now, we’ve learned that South Jersey activist Stephanie Hazelton (a.k.a. Ayla Wolf) was at the Capitol on that fateful day as well.

If her face seems familiar to you, it’s probably because we first told you about Hazelton back in May, when she was charged with violating one of New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s COVID shutdown orders by organizing a gathering outside Atilis Gym in Bellmawr. That’s the South Jersey gym that refused to close its doors to members amid the pandemic — and that has since raised more than $450,000 (!!!) on GoFundMe for its legal defense.

Here’s Hazelton speaking at a small-business rally about a month after the Atilis incident:

Fast-forward to January 6th.

According to videos and social media posts, Hazelton was in Washington, D.C., for the Capitol attack. In one since-deleted Facebook video, Hazelton showed herself in Washington that day. In another post, Hazelton wrote about details of the chartered bus trip from South Jersey to the capital. And two people on Facebook posted about her after the Capitol siege, writing that she had sustained injuries during the insurrection. These posts have since been deleted as well.

Hazelton also pops up in a lengthy video from the Capitol that appears to have been recorded by far right outlet Just Another Channel and originally published on its Parler page, which has since been removed. The video still appears on YouTube (the full video is embedded at the bottom of this story), and Hazelton can be seen helping to lead the charge up the steps of the Capitol, the archway entrance just feet behind her.

In this one segment of the nearly 90-minute video, some Capitol attackers are walking away from the building, apparently suffering from the effects of tear gas, while others thrust forward toward the archway.

“We need more people!” shouts an unknown man. That’s when Hazelton chimes in. “Men,” she says, her pink iPhone in her left hand. “We need more men!” She uses her right hand to wave people — well, people with penises — up the steps to join the charge. “Let’s go!” she orders them:

If there was any doubt about the gender of the people Hazelton was summoning, the following segment should clear it up:

“We need more men,” says Hazelton, who didn’t respond to multiple comments for this story and deleted her Facebook account after we contacted her there. “Keep going. Keep pushing. Men! We need men. Not women.”

A feminist she is not.

In another segment, Hazelton appears to say that she has been inside the Capitol and intends to return to its hallowed halls.

“I gotta go back in,” she tells a man who was offering her water for her irritated eyes.

It’s unclear if Hazelton was ever actually inside the building. What’s also unclear is whether any law enforcement agency is in pursuit of or even interested in her. (The FBI didn’t respond to a request for information.)

The FBI is reportedly investigating some 140,000 images from the day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zyjCvDN4Ig